If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Duplex adapter for HP LaserJet 4[M] Plus: user experience?

My HP LaserJet 4M Plus is ancient, but it still works well and I'm happy
with it except that I'd like to be able to do duplex printing.

I see that I can get a duplex printing attachment for the printer on eBay
for about $120, including shipping. That looks like a much better deal than
$1500 or so for a new printer with duplex capability built in.

My question: how robust are these gadgets? If I buy one in good condition
and treat it well, is it going to last as long as my printer, or is it
likely to need an adjustment in a few months that would cost more than it's
worth?

On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 13:58:16 UTC, "Jonathan Sachs"
wrote:
I see that I can get a duplex printing attachment for the printer on eBay
for about $120, including shipping. That looks like a much better deal than
$1500 or so for a new printer with duplex capability built in.

My question: how robust are these gadgets? If I buy one in good condition
and treat it well, is it going to last as long as my printer, or is it
likely to need an adjustment in a few months that would cost more than it's
worth?

I have two of them, and they've both worked fine for 1 and 2 years
respectively. They look as rugged as the rest of the printer.

"Jonathan Sachs" writes:
I see that I can get a duplex printing attachment for the printer on eBay
for about $120, including shipping. That looks like a much better deal than
$1500 or so for a new printer with duplex capability built in.

You can get a used HP duplex printer for $300 or less. You can get a
new HP 2300D for $600 or so and it's around a 20 ppm printer with a
266 mhz processor, way faster than the 4M. There are some even less
expensive duplex printers from Minolta and others, but I'm not
familiar with specific models. I bought a used HP 2200D for $300 and
I'd say it's less heavy-duty than a 4M, but it's much smaller and for
my light-duty usage, it's great.

Well, the duplexer arrived today. It does not appear to be quite as simple
to use as I was assured it would be.

There are "instructions" printed on the bottom plate of the duplexer's paper
tray. Unfortunately they are the type of pictographic instructions that are
comprehensible only to people who can't read.

As far as I can interpret them, here is what I'm supposed to do.

1. Insert the rear and right paper detents in the appropriate positions for
the length and width of the paper being used.

2. Insert paper in the tray. (I thought this tray was a holding tray for
paper that has been printed on one side but has not yet been printed on the
other. The pictograph seems to indicate otherwise, although I'm mystified
about where half-printed paper is in fact held.)

3. Press the paper down to ensure that all of the sheets are underneath the
retaining clip in the left front corner of the tray.

4. Adjust the left-hand knob at the front of the paper tray. (What to adjust
it for is unclear -- it's labeled with a two-headed arrow, but there is no
hint of what it does.)

5. Adjust the right-hand knob at the front of the paper tray. This one is
clear; it's labeled with paper sizes Letter, Legal, Exec, and A4.

Can somebody clarify what I'm supposed to do with this thing, once I install
it?

On Fri, 5 Nov 2004 22:53:13 UTC, "Jonathan Sachs"
wrote:
Well, the duplexer arrived today. It does not appear to be quite as simple
to use as I was assured it would be.

It's not a duplexer! It's a 500 sheet lower paper tray.
1. Insert the rear and right paper detents in the appropriate positions for
the length and width of the paper being used.

Correct.
2. Insert paper in the tray. (I thought this tray was a holding tray for
paper that has been printed on one side but has not yet been printed on the
other. The pictograph seems to indicate otherwise, although I'm mystified
about where half-printed paper is in fact held.)

That's because it's not a duplexer. It's an additional paper tray!
3. Press the paper down to ensure that all of the sheets are underneath the
retaining clip in the left front corner of the tray.

4. Adjust the left-hand knob at the front of the paper tray. (What to adjust
it for is unclear -- it's labeled with a two-headed arrow, but there is no
hint of what it does.)

Bounce the paper up and down and the pointer will settle. Adjust the
knob so that the arrow is central (between the outer lines). This is the
tension adjustment and can be quite critical.
5. Adjust the right-hand knob at the front of the paper tray. This one is
clear; it's labeled with paper sizes Letter, Legal, Exec, and A4.

That's right.
Can somebody clarify what I'm supposed to do with this thing, once I install
it?

Use it as an additional paper tray. You can draw from it first, or
separately, or only on demand. Up to you.

Yes, I do know what I'm talking about. I have one of these machines,
with duplexer AND additional paper tray, right next to me. The duplexer
is L-shaped, not flat. Believe me.